in six years.
In 1994 the voters of Oregon enacted
campaign finance reform by a 72 percent
vote. But in 1997 the Oregon Supreme Court
struck down the law, and since then spending
on campaigns has increased 10-fold. One ini-
tiative being worked on by the Fair Elections
campaign is a constitutional amendment to
overturn the Oregon Supreme Court’s deci-
sion and allow campaign finance reform laws
to be enacted by Oregon voters through the
initiative process or an act of the Legislature.
The other is a statute that would put limits on
how much can be donated to campaigns by
individuals, corporations, unions and com-
mittees, and put in place more stringent re-
porting and disclosure rules of donors to cam-
paigns.
For information contact Robertshaw at
brooke@demaction.com or call 684.4408. Or
visit www.fairelections.com
changes already affecting the Pacific
Northwest due to greenhouse gas emissions.
Year-round temperatures are rising and
forests are drying out in late summer, increas-
ing the risk of bug infestations and wildfires.
More summer heat also means more energy
demand for air conditioning at a time when
less water will be available in reservoirs for
hydropower. Infectious diseases like West
Nile virus are moving northward, and precip-
itation patterns are more erratic, the report
states.
And it will only get worse. “We’ll have
large-scale weather variations; more summer
droughts back-to-back with increased flood-
ing,” says Doppelt, who is also the director of
the UO Institute for a Sustainable
Environment. “Droughts will affect fishing
and summer recreation. A rising sea level will
impact coastal infrastructure and cause losses
CUTTING
CARBON
Portland has reduced its carbon dioxide
emissions by 13.2 percent, achieving the
Kyoto Protocol goal of below-1990 levels,
The Oregonian reports (6/9). Eugene might
be on track with similar reductions, accord-
ing to a May 5 climate change assessment by
a team of UO students.
Under the guidance of professor Bob
Doppelt, UO graduate students in a global
warming course analyzed emissions from the
city of Eugene’s government operations (in-
cluding EWEB, city buildings, public trans-
portation fleets and the metropolitan waste-
water management). They found that the
city’s greenhouse gas emissions decreased by
9 percent over the past decade.
Local actions that contributed to the
greenhouse gas reductions include energy ef-
ficiency programs, carbon dioxide sequestra-
tion, solid waste reduction and recycling. The
city’s use of hydroelectric power also reduces
its carbon dioxide emissions.
The assessment examines the climate
of beach sand, with impacts on recreation and
tourism.”
But there is hope. Eugene is a leader is en-
ergy conservation, which saves consumers
money while reducing greenhouse gas emis-
sions. Investments in energy-efficient tech-
nology and architecture generally pay off
within one to three years, Doppelt says, and
wind power is becoming more competitive as
fossil fuel costs rise. “We need to unleash the
creative energy of business leaders and citi-
zens in general, and we will find solutions,”
Doppelt says.
Eugene’s initiatives alone won’t slow
global warming — but it’s a start. “Eugene’s
actions have to be coordinated with those in
other communities,” Doppelt says. “Without
the participation of every community, state
and nation, we will not solve the problem.”
— Kera Abraham
BY PAUL NEEVEL
JEFF LANZA
A love of trees and out-
door life drew Jeff Lanza
from Lake Forest, Ill., to
architecture school at
the UO in 1981. After two
years, nature drew him
out of the classroom and
into his own landscape
design and construction
business. When he
returned to school a
decade later in landscape architecture, Lanza drew up an open-space master
plan for the city of Coburg as a fifth-year project. “One thing that makes Coburg
historic is street trees, especially big-leaf maple,” he notes. “It got me involved
in community tree issues.” Since 1998, Lanza has worked for Stangeland
Landscape Architecture and volunteered with the Eugene Tree Foundation, cur-
rently as chairman of its tree-planting committee. “I look on trees as critical
public infrastructure,” he says. “I keep a journal and scout for locations. We’ve
planted more than 1,000 street trees since 1999.” Tree-planting work parties are
scheduled for Saturday mornings in the winter and early spring. The city’s
NeighborWoods Program provides trees and tools. “Jeff is tireless in getting
things organized,” says former ETF President Jon Kline. “He’s very knowledge-
able about trees and their habitat.”
SALLY LAUDED
IN TEXAS
Eugene Weekly humor columnist Sally
Sheklow has taken both first and second
place awards in the Best Magazine Column
category in the 2005 Houston Press Club
Lone Star Awards. The awards were an-
nounced at the University of Houston Hilton
June 18.
Sheklow’s columns on same-sex marriage
were submitted by Tim Brookover, editor of
Houston’s OutSmart magazine. The columns
competed with magazines from all over the
state.
“As always, Sally’s columns match wit
with provocative content,” says Brookover.
“In 2004, Sally was particularly on fire with
her terrific columns about same-sex marriage.”
Sheklow’s “Living Out” column began at
EW in 1999 and is now carried in newspapers
and magazines across the country.
HOLIDAY
DEADLINES
Eugene Weekly offices will be closed
Monday, July 4. Editorial deadlines for our
July 7 issue will not change, but advertising
will have early dead-
lines. To reserve
space for dis-
play
ads,
please call by
Thursday
noon, June 30.
For classified
ads, please call
by 5 pm Friday, July
1. Questions? Call 484-0519.
CORRECTIONS/
CLARIFICATIONS
An editor’s error occurred in the second
paragraph of Mona Linstromberg’s
Viewpoint last week. The sentence ending
with “proposed cuts of April 2005” should
have ended with “proposed cuts of ’04-05.”
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